Saudi Arabia executes over 100 foreign nationals in 2024

Saudi Arabia's use of the death penalty has sparked renewed international criticism, particularly after a significant surge in executions this year.

Thus, Saudi Arabia has executed over 100 foreign nationals this year, marking a significant rise that one human rights organization called unprecedented. The most recent execution in the southwestern Najran region, where a Yemeni national was put to death after being convicted of drug smuggling into the kingdom, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

As of now, 101 foreign nationals have been executed in 2024, based on state media reports. This figure nearly triples the numbers for both 2023 and 2022, during which Saudi authorities executed 34 foreigners each year. The European-Saudi Organisation for Human Rights (ESOHR), based in Berlin, stated that this year’s tally has already set a new record.

“This is the largest number of executions of foreigners in one year. Saudi Arabia has never executed 100 foreigners in a year,” said Taha al-Hajji, the group's legal director. Saudi Arabia has faced ongoing criticism for its extensive use of the death penalty, with human rights groups denouncing it as excessive and inconsistent with the kingdom's efforts to soften its image and attract international tourists and investors. According to Amnesty International, Saudi Arabia executed the third-highest number of prisoners globally in 2023, following only China and Iran. 

In September, the kingdom carried out its highest number of executions in more than 30 years, surpassing previous records of 196 executions in 2022 and 192 in 1995. The pace of executions has remained high, with a total of 274 executions. Among the foreign nationals executed this year were 21 from Pakistan, 20 from Yemen, 14 from Syria, 10 from Nigeria, nine from Egypt, eight from Jordan, and seven from Ethiopia. Additionally, three individuals each from Sudan, India, and Afghanistan, along with one each from Sri Lanka, Eritrea, and the Philippines, were executed. 

In 2022, Saudi Arabia lifted a three-year moratorium on the execution of drug offenders, and executions related to drug crimes have contributed to the sharp rise in this year’s execution numbers. There have been 92 such executions in 2024, with 69 of them involving foreign nationals. Diplomats and human rights activists argue that foreign defendants often face significant barriers to receiving a fair trial, such as restricted access to court documents. "Foreigners are the most vulnerable group," said Taha al-Hajji of the European-Saudi Organisation for Human Rights (ESOHR). 

He added that these individuals are often "victims of major drug dealers" and are "subjected to a series of violations from the moment of their arrest until their execution." Saudi Arabia is infamous for beheading those convicted of capital crimes, although official statements rarely specify the execution method. The ongoing high rate of executions stands in contrast to statements by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who told The Atlantic in 2022 that the kingdom had eliminated the death penalty except in cases of murder or when someone posed a significant threat to many lives.

By Naila Huseynova